A World of Gray
by RonSio
Summary: Recently turned 18-year-old Touya only wants two things in his life: To be with his friends, and to protect those his loves. But in a world where black and white clash, can he still do that and find the gray he desires? (Follows the Black and White games, but has it's own originality) (Rebelshipping, Grandmastershipping) (Art done by Kenichi-Shinigami on DeviantART)
1. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

**Alright. Well, this is my first story, so I'm honestly very nervous. Basically, I've had this idea in my head for a LONG time, pretty much since I beat Pokemon White after it came out.**

**Now, essentially, it'll be the Pokemon Black/White game, but I'll be giving the main character an actual personality instead of a silent protagonist. There will be several changes, however. Not everything will go according to the game.**

**Please review, and if someone wants to beta my writings, please ask.**

**Please note: While it may or may not seem similar to other stories, this is still my idea. I may be influenced or inspired by other writings, but in the end, this is still mine.**

***{I do not own Pokemon, or any characters used in Pokemon. I only own this story}***

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Chapter 1: New Beginnings

I groaned as my eyes flitted open. The sunlight coming from my window made it almost impossible to see. I felt groggy, yet well-rested. I sat up on my bed and yawned, a smile creeping onto my face. It was a good day and I knew it.

"Good morning!" Two voices from the opposite side of the room chorused, with a third voiced grunting in agreement. I didn't need to look to know who was in my room at (I quickly glanced at the digital clock on the side of my bed) 8:24 in the morning.

One of them, the only male, was a stoic looking young man with raven colored hair, dark eyes and frameless glasses. He was dressed in his usual attire of a blue jacket, a red and white shirt underneath, and black pants.

Next to him was a smiling blonde girl with piercing green eyes. She wore her attire of a simple white dress, having a tasteful orange vest over the dress, while orange stockings were visible underneath it. Normally, she also wore a green hat with a single white stripe as well, but I'm assuming her indoor manners got the best of her, as she carried said hat in her hands.

Finally, the youngest of the three (and my little sister). She had brown hair in a very convoluted bun (seriously, I don't know how she keeps it like she does). He eyes were also a fierce light blue. Much to my exasperation, she wore _her_ usual outfit of a sleeveless white shirt, a black vest a surprisingly short shorts. Her signature pink and white hat was comfortably sitting on her head. I stopped trying to change her wardrobe a long time ago, since she refused to listen.

I turned and smiled at my would-be intruders. I was glad they were here, for they are my best friends and my younger sister. "Touko. Bianca. Cheren. What are you doing here this early?" I greeted them, but was still confused at their presence. I made a motion to stand up, but quickly realized something important. "Before you answer, can I get dressed, please, first?" My smile grew slightly mischievous. "Unless you want to stay?"

The reactions were what I expected. Bianca was the first to leave, practically dashing out of the door, yelling "Sorry!" behind her. Cheren just looked exasperated at my joke and quietly walked out with a sigh, and Touko just rolled her eyes before leaving. Knowing that I shouldn't take too long, I got dressed in my black undershirt and blue pants, not bothering to even grab my hat. When I stepped downstairs where they were waiting, I gave Touko a small, yet playful glare.

"What are you doing, waking people up this early?" I calmly said to Touko. "In fact, why did you let them into my room?" My little sister gave me a confused response in return. This surprised me, but knowing her, she assumed I knew something that I did not.

"It's your birthday, in case you forgot, Touya." Cheren spoke up in a collected voice. "It was not the best plan, but she wanted to surprise you." Now I was confused.

"Surprise me?" I asked. I completely forgot it was my birthday. I do remember that Mom had a smirk on her face the last few day, like she was hiding something, but I thought nothing of it. "Surprise me with what?"

Touko's face brightened considerably. "Mama's got a surprise for you. The party was supposed to be one too, _Cheren_," she playfully glared at the now flustered raven-haired young man "but there's still something else for you to look forward to!"

I didn't have to wait very long, for Mother came inside the house shortly after Touko said that. I almost chuckled at the uncanny timing.

Mother was a young looking woman. She and Touko looked so much alike, now that I think about it. They share the same hair and eyes. Mother looked more mature than Touko did, though, obviously. She wore her light green shirt with long sleeves, and a long red skirt.

Mom was actually surprised to see me. "Touya?" she asked nervously. "What are you doing awake so early?" She held two bags in her hands, but attempted to hide them behind her back. "You said you were going to sleep in, after all." She added with a smile, although she still seemed antsy.

"Well, I guess I forgot to shut the curtains." I shrugged. "Sunlight." I was about to ask about the bag, when a knock came to the door. With a cheery "I'll get it!", Touko answered the door, revealing a young woman with short, light brown hair shaped in an odd bun. She wore fairly casual attire (a green skirt and a white shirt), however, her white coat implied she was more important than just a normal person. She, in fact was. This woman was _the _Professor Aurea Juniper. All of us has met her at least once (she would sometimes teach younger children), so it's not too surprising. The real surprise, however was that she held a box in her hands. Blue with a green ribbon.

**Well, if you've played the game, you'll know what's in the box. Now, as I've mentioned, this is my first fic, so I apologize if there are too many mistakes. Also as I've mentioned, I would love it if someone(s) would beta my writing, to see if it's any good.**

**Anyway, I hope you like this, and if you do, please review, it helps. ^_^**

**See you later**

**~RonSio**


	2. Chapter 2: Partners

**Please review, and if someone wants to beta my writings, please ask.**

**Please note: While it may or may not seem similar to other stories, this is still my idea. I may be influenced or inspired by other writings, but in the end, this is still mine.**

***{I do not own Pokemon, or any characters used in Pokemon. I only own this story}***

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Chapter 2: Partners

I looked at the box in surprise. I honestly couldn't believe it. Professor Juniper came to my house and brought me a birthday gift? I was stunned. The chuckling I heard from the Professor and my mother implied that I wasn't hiding my surprise very well.

Professor Juniper smiled before speaking. "Happy birthday, Touya." As she gave me the box, I was still surprised. We don't know each other very well, besides the normal student-teacher relationships.

"Aw! I wish I had a gift from the Professor!" I heard Touko say. I smirked slightly. I may not be a jerk to my sister, but we still have the normal sibling rivalry, so hearing her jealousy is rather enjoyable.

The young Professor cleared her throat before speaking again. "Well, actually, this is a gift for not just Touya, but also for Bianca and Cheren as well." Now we were all confused. It must have been evident on our faces (Touko and Bianca are usually so easy to read) when she returned our confused look. She turned to Mother and spoke once more. "Did you not tell them, Terra?"

Mother chuckled, nervous and embarrassed. She rubbed the back of her head before speaking. "Well, you see, I wanted it to be a surprise, since it's such a big thing and well..."

The Professor sighed, and shook her head, an amused smile returning to her face. "Alright then." She turned from Mother to us. "Touya. Cheren. Bianca. In this box lies a key to your future, and the gate to your potential as adults." Slowly, she opened the box, revealing three red pokeballs.

My eyes widened and an excited smirk grew on my face. Cheren gasped, his face clearly showing disbelief at this turn of events. Bianca's face turned into one of absolute joy and glee. She jumped and cheered in happiness.

The balls each had a small symbol on them, just above the button. One symbol was a flame, the symbol for the fire-type, Tepig. On another was a raindrop, the symbol for Oshawott, the water type. Finally, the last one had a leaf, symbol for Snivy, the grass type.

"These three are for you, and will be the first step on your new journey." Professor Juniper continued. "Normally, I'd suggest that you discuss amongst yourselves a fair way to decide who gets who..." She flashed me a smile. "But I think the birthday boy should get the first pick." I rolled my eyes at the statement. I knew what I wanted, and would have tried to get it either way. I heard Cheren and Bianca next to me agree.

I nodded and walked up to the box. Without hesitation, I grabbed the ball that contained the pokemon I wanted – Oshawott. "I've been thinking about this for years." I muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear. "I knew that Oshawott would be my pokemon of choice."

Professor Juniper nodded, saying "Good choice!" She then turned at Cheren and Bianca. "Now, what will you two-" She was interrupted by Bianca as she walked up to the box, snatched up Tepig's ball, and tossed Snivy's at Cheren. All of us in the room, even the Professor were surprised and shocked at what just happened.

"I call Tepig!" Bianca cheerily shouted. "You can have the Snivy, Cheren." That was simply her explanation. She wanted next pick, so she got it. Mother and the Professor sighed in slight exasperation, but kept their smiles. Cheren looked fully annoyed, before sighing and mumbling "at least I got what I wanted." Touko and I couldn't breathe, we were laughing so hard.

Bianca looked thoroughly confused by our reactions. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked in a worried voice. I sighed and attempted to stop myself from laughing."

"That's not it, Bianca." I said (although the laughter stubbornly refused to fully stop) I sighed again. "You just never cease to amaze us, that's all." Seemingly satisfied with my response, she giggled and stood back next to me and Cheren.

Professor Juniper sighed, and was about to speak again, but stopped. Looking in the direction she was looking, I saw what stopped her. Touko was visibly upset. I guess she was sad that she couldn't have a pokemon yet. I would be as well, if I was in her position.

"Hey, Touko." Professor Juniper said to her. When she had Touko's attention, she reached in her pocket pulled out another pokeball (surprising pretty much everyone else in the room), walking over to Touko and handing it to her. "I wouldn't exclude you from this, you know. You're too young for me to give you an official starter..." She smirked slightly. "But I can give you an unofficial one anytime as a gift." Professor Juniper was then tackle-hugged by the 15-year-old brunette in happiness.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Touko repeated over and over again. I chuckled to myself. Same old Touko...

"Professor." I heard Cheren speak up. I could hear the confusion in his voice. "What exactly was in the pokeball?" Bianca and I turned to the Professor – we were curious as well.

With another smirk, she spoke to all of us. "Why don't you all release your pokemon, and see them yourselves?" The four of us looked at each other and nodded. We each held out the ball in our hands and pressed the button in the center. The ball opened, and in a flash of light, our pokemon came out.

Out of my pokeball came a small blue and white creature. The head and arms were white, and had a large brown nose. It's body was colored a light blue. It's pointed ears, flipper-like feet and flat tail were a darker shade of blue. With a happy jump, it yelled "Oshawott!"

Bianca's ball released a small creature that stood on four legs. It's body was orange, however, the top half of it's head, as well as a stripe on it's body was black. On it's snout was a flash of yellow. It had a curled tail with a red ball at the end of it. The Tepig yawned, saying it's name as it did so.

Out of Cheren's pokeball came a small green creature. It's body, except for it's belly and legs were green. Those were more of a pale color. It also had a few flashes of yellow on it's body, such as above it's large brown eyes. Compared to it's body, it's arms and legs were rather small. It puffed out it's chest and turned it's head, muttering a quiet "Snivy" as it did so.

The biggest surprise is what Touko released. She released a small creature with a black body. It's ears and tail were blue, and it's face was pale. It had no arms or legs to speak of. When it saw Touko, it hopped up a few times, happily saying "Tympole" while it did.

Professor Juniper looked at us with a proud smile, and Mother looked at us with a happy one. "Well, guys." The Professor started. "Here are your new partners!"

**That's a rap for this one. I wanted to do a bit more, but I thought it'd be a good place to stop for now.**

**Just to clear things up (and more will be explained later on) I named the mother Terra for a reason. You'll see later on.**

**One more thing, age is also a factor into this story. So, to explain - **

**Touya – 18**

**Bianca – 17**

**Cheren – 17**

**Touko – 15**

**Mother (Terra) – 36**

**Professor Juniper – 32**

**It may not seem too important, but trust me, everything is there for a reason.  
**

**Review Responses ^_^**

** xavierfincher – Thanks, and I'm glad you like it. I'm trying to make it longer as it goes on. The first chapter might be short, but the chapters will progressively get longer, until I reach a pretty decent point.**

** Bird of Flame – Thank you. I'll be putting more, and hopefully on a regular basis as well.**

** Dr. John Madblender – Happy to hear you're interested, and I know, it bugs me too. Rebelshipping should be more popular.**

** Guest – I'm glad I have your support, and I'll try to be unique, but I wouldn't say there's NO stories about them. Very few, yes, but I've read some.**

**I hope you like this, and if you do, please review, it helps. ^_^**

**See you later**

**~RonSio**


	3. Chapter 3: First Battles

**One thing I want to say before I continue is that I'm not certain of how I should progress, length-wise. I'm asking you, whoever reads this: Should I just go from point "A" to point "B" and not care about how long or short the chapter is, or should I write a specific number of words for each chapter?**

**Please review, and if someone wants to beta my writings, please ask.**

**Please note: While it may or may not seem similar to other stories, this is still my idea. I may be influenced or inspired by other writings, but in the end, this is still mine.**

***{I do not own Pokemon, or any characters used in Pokemon. I only own this story}***

* * *

Chapter 3: First Battles

It was really difficult to not to glare at the Tympole. _It's just a random Tympole_ I kept reminding myself. _No, it's more than that, it's Touko's._ I couldn't help it though. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Mother – for a quick second – had a pained look on her face. That pokemon...it just keeps reminding me of-

I was snapped out of my musings by Professor Juniper. "Here are your new partners!" She said to us. I gave us a quick look-over and smiled wider. "Now, I have something else for you all, however, it's still in development. It should be ready later today, so just be patient." She began to leave, but turned to us before she was fully gone. "By at the lab at about noon. It should be ready by then." And with that, she left.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's just turned 9." I muttered out loud. "So, we got two hours to spare..." I shrugged.

"I have an idea." Mother cheerily spoke up. "Well, why don't we see how strong your new pokemon are? How about a practice battle?" Me, Touko, Cheren and Bianca looked at each other, before smiling and nodding.

"I'm game for that!" Touko excitedly cheered. Next to her, Tymbole did a back-flip in what I'm assuming was agreement.

"Sounds fun. Plus it'll be good to have a little practice." Cheren said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. His Snivy kept it's composure, but still looked eager for a battle.

"I'm all up for it!" Bianca said excitedly. She turned to her Tepig and pet it on the head. "How about you, buddy?" Tepig blinked. It said it's name with a little bit of excitement, but it looked rather indifferent to me.

I just smirked. My first battle. I was looking forward to this for a long time. I turned to my pokemon and spoke. "Oshawott. Are you ready?" The seemingly never-ending smile on it's face seemed to have widened as it cheered happily. "I'd say we're all in." I said to the others.

"We should take this outside." Cheren spoke up. "I don't know about you, but I would rather not destroy your house." He sighed.

"Aw, don't worry!" Bianca cheerily spoke up. "Even if we did battle inside, they're just babies. They won't do any damage." Cheren sighed once more before wordlessly walking outside with his Snivy. Shrugging, I followed him. Bianca, Touko and Mother didn't take too long to follow as well.

"So, who's battling who?" Touko asked, still bouncing in excitement. Cheren thought for a moment before Mother spoke up.

"If you kids want, I can pair you off for you." We looked at each other. Cheren looked slightly annoyed that he couldn't pick, but the four of us nodded anyway. Mother clapped her hands and looked at us. "Touya, you can battle Bianca, and Touko, you can battle Cheren."

I noticed Touko glaring at Mother, Cheren looked embarrassed, and Bianca blushed just slightly. I almost joined Touko in the glare – Mother seems to be up to something. Touko and I could see the slight shift in Mother's smile. It was barely noticeable, but she was smirking. She's a crafty woman, for sure...

The four of us nodded again and separated in our selected pairs. Bianca chirped in, confused. "So, who goes first?" I thought for a moment.

"Cheren. Touko. Why don't you two go first? I'm sure you're both very eager to battle." Cheren and Touko nodded before steeping a little bit in opposite directions. After a short distance, they faced each other.

Cheren and Snivy shared a look of calm confidence. It was almost as if they knew they were going to win. On the opposite side, Touko also looked confident. An excited smirk graced her face, and she was antsy to get started. Her Tympole had a look of sheer determination, as though it simply refused to lose.

I frowned, and it deepened when Cheren spoke up. "Hey, Touko!" He called from his spot across from her. "You're at a disadvantage. At such a young age, your Tympole's only attach is Bubble." I shook my head. The only _attack _was Bubble, but it knew a couple other moves as well. This slightly discouraged Touko, but she shook her head.

She pointed forward, as if signaling her Tympole to charge. "Go, Tympole! You're up! She confidently yelled. Yelling a determined "Tym!" it hopped forward, looking ready for battle.

Cheren pushed up his glasses and signaled his Snivy forward as well. "Snivy, show them what you can do!" He spoke with possibly the most determination I've heard from him yet. Snivy nodded and gracefully jumped from it's spot next to Cheren to in front of Tympole on the battle field.

Mother stood on the sides, towards the middle. "This will be a standard Pokemon Battle!" She spoke clearly, as though she had practiced that line several times. "Each side will only use one pokemon, and the battle will be over once either one of the pokemon has fainted, or one of the trainers gives up. Are both sides ready?" Touko and Cheren both wordlessly nodded. "Begin!"

Quickly, Touko jumped on the offensive. "Tympole, use Bubble!" The small pokemon shot several small bubbles at the Snivy.

"Snivy! Dodge and use Leer!" The Snivy nimbly dodged the oncoming bubbles, then gave the Tympole a hard glare.

Touko looked like she was racking her brain for ideas of moves Tymbole could use this early in it's life. I wanted to help her out, but if she wanted to be her own pokemon trainer, she'll have to do this on her own.

I didn't need to help her. During the battle, they looked about even. Even though the Tympole was using water attacks against a grass-type, it did a bit more damage than what was expected. However, halfway though the battle, Touko remembered that Tympole could use Supersonic. And it was that move that helped her win the battle.

Cheren sighed. "I can't believe you beat me." He said to her, although he still smiled. Touko giggled happily and they both walked back towards us, Cheren using potions to heal the pokemon on the way.

Bianca looked at me with smile that held an odd combination of confidence and nervousness. I nodded, and she nodded back. We walked out and stood where Cheren and Touko stood.

Mother did the same speech she did with the last battle. Nodding, both Bianca and I sent forward our pokemon. We wasted no time. Our pokemon's moves were roughly the same due to them being so young, so it was a more equal chance. Very much so, because the first few attacks of the fight, they seemed to have been on even ground. However, soon, I saw that Bianca had the advantage. Her Tepig seems to be physically stronger than my Oshawott. I lost. And I was fine with that.

I smiled at Bianca who was cheering happily with her Tepig. "Hey Bianca." I called out to her. "Good job." She smiled back and nodded. I could see how happy she was. She was probably nervous beforehand, since she isn't the most confident girl, but this was a happy moment for her.

"So..." I heard Touko pipe up. "What do we do for the next couple of hours?"

**Just a thing to clear up – I'm not very good a writing battles, so fighting might be an issue for future chapters. And the reason I pretty much skipped over the pokemon battle was for one simple reason – it'd be monotonous. I gave Touko vs Cheren a little more detail because Tympole knows different moves. But Tackle/Tail Whip vs. Tackle/Tail Whip would not be very exciting to write. So, I'll most likely go over the highlights of unimportant battles, instead of being very descriptive of them.**

**Review Responses ^_^**

**Sega Nesquik – Well, I'm glad you like it, and I'll have to check yours out as well.**

**Same guest – I gave Touko a Tympole for a reason, and it'll become clear in future chapters. And as for N's age, I'll give my official age for him when he arrives, but right now I'm thinking 19-20.**

**I hope you like this, and if you do, please review, it helps. ^_^**

**See you later**

**~RonSio**


	4. Chapter 4: First Steps

**I think I'll go with the Point A to B writing style (See chapter 3 for details) but I do want to have a hold on how many words I use. So, from now on, Each chapter will get slightly bigger, and the story will progress further in response. (I'm still learning, so please bear with me).**

**Please review, and if someone wants to beta my writings, please ask.**

**Please note: While it may or may not seem similar to other stories, this is still my idea. I may be influenced or inspired by other writings, but in the end, this is still mine.**

***{I do not own Pokemon, or any characters used in Pokemon. I only own this story}***

* * *

Chapter 4: First Steps

The next couple hours were spent rather slowly. Hanging out at my house, finishing my birthday (I could strangle Cheren right now. While the girls were singing 'happy birthday', I saw him snicker at my embarrassment). We even decided on nicknames for our Pokemon, should the Professor ask.

Cheren decided on Fauna. Apparently his Snivy is female, so he decided that Fauna fit well. I had to talk Bianca out of naming her Tepig Porky, or something similar. When I told her that a large Emboar named 'Porky' didn't fit, she settled on 'Ciacco', which surprised most of us. When asked, she explained that is meant Pig in the old language her family knew. It was male, but I don't really think it mattered much to her. Touko named her Tympole Echo. She didn't check to see what it was, just used a simple yet effective name. My Oshawott, I named him Nero. It meant 'water' in an older language. Strong, yet gentle. Everyone seemed satisfied with their names.

Cheren and Bianca had to leave a little early. Cheren said he wanted a head start to the Professor's Lab, while Bianca mention that she need some supplies at home. Touko, Mother and I said goodbye to them, and hung out at home for a short while after, making sure we were properly prepared ourselves.

By the time everything was all said and done, it was roughly a quarter after 11. Saying goodbye to Mother, the Touko and I left the house.

Nuvema town was an extremely small place. It had all the necessities a town would need for independent survival, however, one could easily walk the entire town in less than an hour. It would take maybe 10 minutes to go from my house to the Professor's Lab. When we arrived, we saw Cheren waiting at the front door.

"Ah, Touya, Touko." He looked at us with an impassive look. "I see you decided to come early as well." He nodded once.

Touko sighed. "Well, we'd rather not be late, and our house isn't exactly next door, Cheren." She probably didn't like being early, but it's good that she came, anyway. Speaking of which...

"Hey, where's Bianca?" I asked, both curious and mildly worried. I ignored the smirks on both of the faces around me. Touko was obvious and plainly teasing. As my little sister, she knows more things about me than I'm comfortable with (but the reverse is true as well). The rare 'Cheren-smirk' as we call it was small and hidden. His made me slightly uncomfortable. He's my best friend and really smart, so his guessing skills are usually accurate.

Luckily, Cheren's face went back to an emotionless mask as he spoke. "I'm not sure. We agreed to wait here for you two, but she's rather late – even for her." Bianca had a tendency to be slightly late, but by the sound of it, something was holding her up. The smirk returned however, as he spoke again. "Why don't you go check on her? Touko and I will wait here."

Sometimes I want to punch that four-eyed nerd I call a best friend. I sighed slightly embarrassed. "Alright, fine." I shrugged, playing off a casual air. I was still uncomfortable letting Touko hang out alone with a boy, but this was rather urgent. By the time I questioned his logic of me going by myself, I was already halfway to Bianca's.

The four of us had lived in Nuvema town all of our lives, so of course we know where our houses are. Bianca's is just southwest of mine. However, once I had gotten to the door, and was about to knock, I heard shouting on the other side.

"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" I could recognize that as Bianca's father any day. He used to be a kind man, but as we grew up, he started disliking us – Bianca's friends. He especially disliked me and Cheren (although I've seen him give me a death glare more times than Cheren). I heard his voice again, still angry, but a little quieter. "I refuse to let you go out on a Pokemon journey on your own. I'm sorry, but you can't handle it!"

I heard mumbling (or at least it sounded like mumbling compared to the booming voice of Bianca's father) the sounded like Bianca herself. I heard him respond, "I don't care if you have a pokemon. I'll allow that I'm impressed you managed to beat that _boy_" he referred to me in disgust "but you're all still rookies. None of you know how to battle, and even if you do, you still can't handle these things on your own!"

Bianca's mumbling sounded louder, which surprised me. I could here her anger, even if it was being bottled in. I couldn't catch what she said, but I heard her say "Touko".

Her father snorted. "Please. She may have won her battle as well, but do you expect me to leave you in the hands of a child younger than you?" His aggravation grew more as he spoke. "She's weak, too. And the two of you will be eaten alive out there!"

"It's not just us! Cheren will be there too! And...and so will Touya!" Did Bianca just yell? In anger? At her father? Anything she said after that was deathly muted, I couldn't even here her mumble.

Her father blew a gasket. "I'M TIRED OF YOUR BACKTALK! YOU ARE _NOT_ LEAVING AND THAT'S FINAL! NOT ALONE, NOT WITH YOUR FRIENDS, NOT EVEN WITH THE CHAMPION HIMSELF!" I actually stumbled back on that. His screaming both terrified and enraged me. How can he do this? It's her choice – she's a young woman, practically an adult. I understood his position, but he was being downright cruel.

I could faintly hear footsteps running, and just barely I heard a door slam. She ran to her room in defeat, it seems. I was dumbfounded, and by the heavy breathing I heard, her father was completely angry. "Boy!" I heard him yell. It sounded like he was struggling not to explode. "Hasn't your mother taught you it's rude to eavesdrop? Get out of here!" I hesitated, not wanting to leave Bianca alone and behind, but I quickly ran back to the Lab.

I told Cheren and Touko what I had heard, and neither of them were very please. Cheren's emotionless mask seemed to have developed a glare, his face frowning at what he had heard. Touko was full out livid. We had to restrain her from going and trying to bust Bianca out of her house. It was practically noon, and we couldn't do much else, so we reluctantly went inside the Professor's Lab.

As we went inside, we were rather amazed. The laboratory was high-tech, with pods and computers everywhere. I saw several bookshelves as I passed, and even noticed a few of the Professor's helpers around.

The three of us just stood there, uncertain. One of the Professor's helpers walked up to us.

"Are you looking for Professor Juniper?" She asked. I hated feeling like a lost child, but I'm certain no one here wanted to accidentally stumble onto something off limits. Silently, we nodded, and the woman cheerily walked us up to the second floor.

Upstairs by what I assume is the 'master computer' she uses for research, was Professor Juniper. She waved us hello upon seeing us. She was about to start whatever speech she had prepared, when she noticed that our group was one shorter. "Where's Bianca?" She asked curiously. I was about to answer, when something interrupted me.

"I'm here!" I heard the shouting voice of Bianca. Her and her Tepig came happily running up behind us. Cheren, Touko and I were stunned. How...why was she here? I was happy of course, but how?

"Bianca." I greeted happily. My happy smile turned into a look of curiosity, though. "How are you here?" Bianca looked surprised, but not too much so. I guess she heard her father snap at me. Cheren and Touko shared my curiosity.

Bianca thought for a second and tilted her head, slightly confused. "I'm not sure...All I know is that Mommy came into my room and told me that I'll be able to leave in five minutes and Daddy won't notice my leaving until tomorrow.. When I left, I didn't see either of them in the living room."

Touko tried her hardest to not laugh. The Professor looked utterly confused as to what was going on. Cheren and I shared a look of utter disbelief. We even looked at each other, as if to say 'did she really say that'.

Shaking her head and clearing her throat, Professor Juniper did what she intended on doing. She started her speech with an introduction. She explained her career studying pokemon, and how there are hundreds of pokemon in the 5 explored regions. She even commented on our pokemon, saying that we looked rather close, and we reported to her our names for them. Lastly she handed us each a device. Mine was blue, Cheren's was green, Bianca's was pink and Touko's was red.

"These." She said. "Are pokedexes. With these, you can obtain information on any pokemon you capture on your journey. Of course, seeing them gives you some general info, but the detailed info can only be obtained in capture. I need help in studying pokemon, and I'm frankly too busy to always do field work. Will you help?" Of course, we all said yes. With a smile and a clap of her hands, she rushed outside. "Come quickly! I'll give you one last instruction as you begin your journey!" And she left.

"So much energy." Cheren sighed. The rest of us just chuckled, before going out of the lab ourselves. "I'd assume she's just outside of town." Cheren mentioned as we reached the town border.

"Alright, then let's go." I said, about to walk.

"Wait!" Bianca blurted out loud. Cheren sighed, and I nearly fell on my face. When we looked at her, she looked rather timid. "Um...if it's alright, I'd like us to take our first steps together." I smiled instantly.

"I'm game for that." I said.

"Me too." Touko said. With a laugh and a smile, Bianca stood in between me and Touko, linking her arms in ours. Don't blush, Touya, don't blush...

"Come on, Cheren." Bianca said, you can join us.

"You can stand next to Touko." I said with a smirk. Grunting, Cheren did just that, linking his arm in her free one.

"So, which foot do we start with?" Touko asked, confused."

"Does it matter?" Cheren asked with a sigh. Both girls pouted before saying 'yes' at the same time. "Fine, then left!" Cheren said, irritated at the current antics the girls were having. Satisfied, the four of us raised our left foot, and began out journey as young adults.

**And that ends chapter 4. Sorry if it seems rushed, but to be honest, I wanted to be out of Nuvema by now. ^^;**

**Touya and Bianca's father will clash heads a few times in the story, so look out for that.**

**As for the nicknames, 'Nero' means 'water' in Greek. Bianca's Tepig was slightly more difficult. I wanted it to be pig-related, but not Porky. So, I typed up her name, and BiancO is Italian. Since it's close to BiancA, I thought it'd still work. Basically, Ciacco should mean pig in Italian.**

**Review Responses ^_^**

**xSatomi – I'm sorry, but THANK YOU. Long reviews are awesome. I'd respond to one of the thing you said, but I think just about everything already referred in here somewhere. I WILL say it's going to be well over 20 chapters, though. But once again, thank you, and I hope you like this chapter as well.**

**Bird of Flame – For some reason you're in my email notifications, but not in the actual reviews. At least not on my end. But, I'm glad you like it, and I'll take the 'short battle' idea into consideration.**

**One more thing. I'm fairly certain I'll be posting another story soon. This will be the main story, so I'll prioritize this one most, but Hetalia fans, I will be making something for you sooner or later.**

**I hope you like this, and if you do, please review, it helps. ^_^**

**See you later**

**~RonSio**


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